| at VCU | vs Richmond |
|---|
| Jan. 27-28 | 2 p.m. | 10 a.m. |
| Richmond, Va. |
| Talhimer Tennis Center |
| Live Stats |
ELON, N.C. – Elon University women’s tennis continues its spring season this week when it travels to Richmond, Va. for contests against VCU and Richmond respectively. The Phoenix is set to take on VCU at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 27, before matching up with Richmond at 10 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 28.
GAMEDAY COVERAGE
– Thursday’s action will begin with doubles play at 2 p.m. at the Thalhimer Tennis Center.
– Friday’s action is set to get underway at 10 a.m. with doubles play also at the Thalhimer Tennis Center.
– Live Stats will be provided and can be accessed using this link.
THE MATCHUP
– Thursday afternoon marks the fifth meeting between Elon and VCU.
– The Phoenix currently trails in the all-time series 4-0.
– In the most recent meeting between the two programs, VCU defeated Elon, 5-2, on Jan. 23, 2021.
– Friday morning marks the fourth meeting between Elon and Richmond.
– The Phoenix currently leads the all-time series, 2-1.
– In the most recent meetings between the programs, Elon fell to Richmond, 4-2, on April 7, 2018.
SCOUTING ELON
– The Phoenix enters the contest with an 0-1 record after falling to No. 3 UNC in its most recent outing.
– Elon rounded out last season with a 17-5 overall record and clinched a berth into the CAA Tournament semifinals.
– The Phoenix posted a 12-2 mark in matches played at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center and went 4-1 in road contests last season.
– Four All-CAA selections return for the Phoenix in 2021-22 in Sibel Tanik (1st Team), Lizette Reding (Rookie of the Year; 2nd Team Singles; 3rd Team Doubles), Victoria Saldh (3rd Team Singles), and Alison O’Dea (3rd Team Doubles).
– Other returners for the Phoenix include Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sport Excellence Award recipient, Olivia Archer, and junior Shauna Galvin.
– Lizette Reding led the charge for the Phoenix last season, compiling a 16-3 overall record, including a 13-2 mark in the No. 3 slot.
– Sibel Tanik and Victoria Saldh finished tied for second on the team in singles wins with 13 each. Saldh was also tied for the team-lead with 12 doubles victories, while Tanik ended the year on a six-game win streak in singles play.
– Alison O’Dea and Olivia Archer rounded out the double-digit singles wins for the Phoenix in 2020-21, finishing with 10 apiece.
– Shauna Galvin posted an 8-3 overall record in singles play, including a 4-0 mark in the No. 5 slot last season.
– The Phoenix is led by Elizabeth Anderson, who will begin her 18th season at the helm of the program in 2021-22.
SCOUTING VCU
– VCU enters the contest with a 1-1 overall record after defeating Temple, 5-2, in its most recent outing.
– Vivian Segnini is in the midst of her second season at the helm of the VCU program. Segnini won Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year last season after leading the team to the A-10 Championship and a berth into the NCAA Tournament.
– The Rams are led by No. 61 nationally ranked Paola Diaz Delgado, who currently holds a 1-1 record in the No. 1 singles slot after winning her most recent match against Temple. Nina Sorkin has also made contributions for VCU this season, earning a 1-1 record so far this season.
– VCU has also been strong in doubles play, winning five of six doubles matches through two contests this year.
SCOUTING RICHMOND
– Richmond enters the contest with a 0-1 overall record after falling to No. 7 Virginia, 7-0, in its most recent outing.
– Mark Wesselink is in the midst of his 32nd season at the helm of the Richmond program. Wesselink has won seven A-10 Coach of the Year awards in his time at Richmond, while leading the program to 21 winning seasons and nine NCAA Tournament appearances.
– The Spiders boast a well-balanced roster with two seniors (Emily Dunbar and Helene Heiberg), one junior (Marta Buendia) and three sophomores (Carly Cohen, Sara Salemyr and Polina Shitikova).
LAST TIME OUT
– Elon fell to No. 3 North Carolina, 7-0, in its season opener on Saturday, Jan. 15, in Chapel Hill, N.C.
– Julie Ball battled in her first match with the Phoenix, pushing No. 13 ranked Carson Tanguilig to a 7-5, 6-4 decision in the No. 4 slot.
– Victoria Saldh fought, but was defeated by No. 7 ranked Reilly Tran, 6-2, 6-2, on Saturday.
– Alison O’Dea was outlasted by Sophia Patel 6-4, 6-2 in the No. 6 position.
– UNC took the doubles point, as Elon’s three duos fell to the No. 1, No. 6, and No. 34 ranked doubles teams respectively.
THE FACES OF 2021-22
– The Phoenix welcomes back six returners from last year’s squad in seniors Olivia Archer and Victoria Saldh, juniors Shauna Galvin and Sibel Tanik, and sophomores Lizette Reding and Alison O’Dea.
– Elon will feature two newcomers this season in first-year Sarah Allen and Tennessee transfer Julie Ball.
– Allen joins the Phoenix from Christ Church Episcopal School, where she was a five-time team State Champion from 2016-2020 and earned four top-5 finishes at the All-State Singles Championships in 2017 (5th), 2018 (4th), 2019 (4th) and 2020 (2nd).
– Ball comes to Elon from the University of Tennessee where she earned Spring SEC Academic Honor Roll honors in 2020.
COMING SOON
– The Phoenix remains on the road for its next two contests VCU (Jan. 27) and Richmond (Jan. 28) respectively.
– Elon will play its first home match of the spring season on Saturday, Feb. 12, when it welcomes Campbell to the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center for a 1 p.m. matchup.
– Following that game, Elon will remain at home for a 1 p.m. matchup with Gardner-Webb on Sunday, Feb. 13.
–ELON–